Bayern Munich star Eric Dier has taken a swipe at former club Tottenham and believes he wasn't "given a fair shake" during his time in England.

The 31-year-old joined Spurs in August 2014 for £4million after starting his career at Sporting CP. Dier hit the ground running in north London and cemented himself as an important member of Mauricio Pochettino's squad.

He then helped engineer Tottenham to Premier League title pushes in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons, though Pochettino's side fell short on both occasions. As well as this, Dier starred for England at Euro 2016, and while the Three Lions crashed out in the last 16, he scored a memorable free-kick against Russia in the group phase.

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Dier continued to be important for Tottenham throughout the years and reached the 300-appearance mark against Southampton in December 2021. The Cheltenham-born defender played at least 25 times in nine successive seasons for Spurs before Ange Postecoglou's arrival prompted Dier to fall down the pecking order.

After playing just four times in the first half of the 2023/24 season, Dier left Tottenham to join Bayern Munich in January 2024 on a six-month loan deal would expire at the same time as his Spurs contract that summer. In the process, Dier reunited with former teammate Harry Kane at the Allianz Arena.

However, the loan contract included the option for a one-year permanent deal with Bayern should he achieve the required minimum number of appearances. In March 2024, it was confirmed that Dier would sign for Bayern permanently until summer 2025 after playing the required number of matches.

And since he joined Bayern 12 months ago now, Dier has been impressive. He has become a fans' favourite and has been an important figure for Vincent Kompany this season. Dier started Bayern's 4-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday and was solid throughout, helping them keep a third straight Bundesliga clean sheet.

Speaking after the match, Dier was asked about whether he felt 'written off' in England and therefore had 'a point to prove' when he arrived at Bayern. In response to that, Dier told ESPN: "Very much so. I didn’t feel like I was always given a fair shake during my time in England.

"I was motivated by that when I came here, and motivated to do well for this club, to try and play as best as I can individually and to help the team play as well as it can collectively. That is my main focus, but I definitely felt that a little bit when I left England."

Last month, meanwhile, Kompany praised Dier for his leadership and impact he has had on the Bayern team since his arrival from Tottenham. "Eric is a player with a lot of experience who knows what to do in these moments," said Kompany. "Players like Eric have character and always prioritise the team."